Community offers alternative lifestyle for growing families

A lifestyle that allows quality leisure time as well as access to major business districts is establishing Santarosa states 2 as a thriving community favored by young executives, professionals and their families.

Less than an hour’s drive from Makati, Santarosa Estates 2 is a 10-hectare residential community primarily offering house-and-lot packages with floor areas ranging from 90 to 165 sqm. Developed by Ayala Land subsidiary LPHI, Santarosa Estates 2 is at the heart of the dynamic Sta. Rosa community which hosts a good number of foreign-owned manufacturing sites. These companies have in turn attracted schools to the area like De La Salle, St. Scholastica’s College, Don Bosco and the Ateneo Graduate School.

Santarosa Estates 2 is also near commercial centers and is a short drive away from the more established and self-contained Ayala Alabang community developed by LPHI’s parent company, Ayala Land, Inc.

In addition to these benefits, homeowners are beginning to appreciate Sta. Rosa’s idyllic ambience, according to Jenylle Sorongon-Tupaz, Santarosa Estates 2 project development manager. "Because Sta. Rosa is always a few degrees cooler and is certainly a lot quieter than Metro Manila, homeowners feel they have escaped the big city once they enter the village," she says. This perception is all the more reinforced by Tagaytay’s proximity to Sta. Rosa, a mere 15-minute drive away through the Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road.

By year-end, discloses Tupaz, Santarosa Estates 2’s leisure facilities will have been completed, a development that will bolster the alternative lifestyle offered by this growing community. The village showcase will be a landscaped park close to 3,400 sqm. in area. It will have a clubhouse, basketball court, swimming pool, jogging path and fitness trail.

Masterplanned by DQA Environmental Design, the park’s centerpiece will be a swimming pool designed for family interaction. The pool will integrate two kiddie pools with varying depths, a lapping area and conversation nooks. DQA president Frank Borja explains that parents with younger families "seem to want to be more involved and hands-on in rearing their children these days." Thus, the pool in particular was conceptualized so that each member of the family could engage in an appropriate activity but still remain close to the other members.

The pool area for toddlers, which has a water depth of no more than four inches, stands out as the most novel innovation. Envisioned as a place where very young children can engage in water play "like pouring water in and out of teacups," it also incorporates 12 mini water fountains that burst through the water line and rise about a foot. "I figure the kids will be using those fountains for a lot of creative play," he says.

In addition, the shallow area can also be used by adults for lounging on their backs while staying cool. At night, the lighted fountains serve as an interesting backdrop for parties and other events. "We stack a lot of uses in an area to maximize it," explains the environmental designer who received his training from one of the leading landscape architects in the US.

A playground for children with a lot of grass to encourage active play and seating for parents and caregivers are incorporated in another park within the community.

Santarosa Estate’s house-and-lot packages make use of a French building system that offers durability and strength and comes with a 15-year warranty on structural integrity. Homes make use of two-toned concrete roof tiles that reflect the Mediterranean theme of the community.

To afford clients greater flexibility, LPHI is offering a range of schemes for Santarosa Estates 2 homes. Homeowners have the choice of purchasing a basic unit and providing the interior partitions and kitchen amenities themselves. Or they can purchase the units with interior partitions, floor tiles and a fully built-up kitchen.

For more information, call 814-7662; 814-7497; or 848-0974.